Draft-gear.



S. HANSSON & I. MUELLER.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.5. 1914.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I rll III. 5- wI H HHU L.

WITNESSES S. HANSSON 6L I. MUELLER.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-5. 1914.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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SOREN HANSSON AND ISAK MOEICLER, OF NEW GLASGOW, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA,ASSIGNORS 0F ONE+THIRD TO HENDERSON B. DOUGLAS, 0]? NEIV GLASGOW, NOVASCOT IA, CANADA.

DRAFT-GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 5, 1915..

Application filed August 5, 1914. Serial No. 855,209.

T 0 allwhom it may concern:

Be itknown that we, SOREN HANSSON and ISAK MOELLER, residents of NewGlasgow, in the Province of Nova Scotia and Dominion of Canada, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Draft-Gear, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to draft gears for railway cars.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved draft gear whichcan be readily adapted for either friction type or twin spring gears,which is of simple construction and positively locks the springs andprevents them from escaping, which is much stronger and less liable tofail than prior draft gears, and which may be cheaply manufactured andcan be readily applied to all types of railway'cars.

' The invention comprises the construction and arrangement of partshereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents 111 part a plan view, and in part ahorizontal section on the line 1.1, Fig. 2, through a draft gearembodying the invention; Fig. 2

is a central longitudinal sectional elevation line .4

thereof; Fig. 3 illustrates at'the left a cross section on the line 3 3,and at the right a cross section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2; Fig.

4 represents at the left a cross section on the line 44, and at theright a section on the Fig. 2; Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views on alarger scale, showing a securing device; and Fig. 7 is a cross sectionalview showing the device applied to a friction type gear.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the usual draft sill, connectedat one end to the end sill 2 and continuing beyond the body bolster 3,which is provided with the usual centerbearing 4. The draft sill isprovided with side plates 5, formed of malleable iron or cast steel andhaving the proper configuration to support the parts and guide thelongitudinal keys, as hereinafter described. As illustrated, these sideplates are provided at top and bottom with front and rear stop lugs 6,which positively limit longitudinal movement of the follower plates, ashereinafter described, and also with upper and lower shoulders 7, whichform guideways for the longitudinal keys.

The coupler head is indicated at 10 and at its pear end, as at 11, abutsagainst the front follower plate 12. It is provided with a cross slot13, through which projects a cross key 14:, :which extends throughopenings 15 in the draft sill 1, and at one end is provided withsuitable head or enlargement 16, and at the other end with an opening'17 to receive the prongs 18 of a securing device, shown as an oval loopor yoke 19,

which loop or yoke is placed around-the end of the cross key and has itsprongs bent down. into the opening thereof, as shown in Fig. 5, toprevent the key from escaping from the draft sill. The slots 15 in thedraft sill are elongated to permit longitudinal movement of the crosskey therein, the

.70 shoulders at the ends of said'slots forming heads cause the'rearfollower plate to move forwardly with the longitudinal keys.

The follower plates 12 and 22 travel longitudinally between the sideplates 5, the

keys movingbet'ween the shoulders 7 of said side plates, and also alongshoulders 7 of the follower plates,which prevent the keys from droppingout. The forward movement of the front follower plate is limitedpositively by the front upper and lower shoulders 6 on the side plates,while the rearward movement of the rear follower-plate 22 is likewiselimited positively by the upper and lower rear shoulders 6 of the sideplates. The follower plates are suitably shaped to form two practicallycylindrical barrels, being provided with rims or flanges 25 whichconfine the twin sets of springs 26 abutting said follower plates attheir opposite ends. The springs may also be held in place by suitabledowels 27 attached to the follower plates at the centers ofthe springs,this is not necessary.

The springs are preventedfrom escaping, outwardly by the rims of thefollower plates and are held apart from each other by the longitudinalkeys 21.. Said keys, as shown although on their upper and lower inneredges, as at 29, where they engage and support the springs. Thelongitudinal keys are of a shape which enable them to be readily usedeither for twin spring or friction type gears. For example, Fig.illustrates a cross sectional view through a friction type gear, theside keys 21 being reversed 180 degrees from the positions which theyoccupy in the twin spring arrangement shown in Fig. 1, and having theirconcave faces 28" fitting the barrel 80 of the gear, and their oppositefaces guided in ways formed in the side plates llhis enables the sidekeys to be manufactured in quantities and utilized without modificationin either type of gear.

The draft gear described is simple and can be readily manufactured. itis very strong for the amount of. metal employed and dispenses with theusual drawbar yoke and the riveted connection thereof to the couplerhead. Qonsequently, it is much stronger and is less liable to fail thanprior draft gears. it also dispenses with the usual special springseparating devices, as the springs are held apart by the side keysthemselves.

lVhat we claim is l. [a draft gear, comprising side plates, tearfollower plates, longitudinal keys passing thronghopenings in saidfollower plates and provided with heads at their rear ends, a couplerhead connected to the front ends of said longitudinal keys, and

' a pair of parallel springs between said follower plates, the innerportions of said longitudinal keys being arranged to engage said springsfor supporting and separating the same.

2. A draft gear, comprising side plates having front and rear stop lugs,follower plates movable between said lugs, longitudinal keys passingthrough openings in said follower plates and provided with heads attheir rear ends, a coupler head connected to the front ends of saidlongitudinal keys, and springs. between said follower plates, said keyshaving portions extending inwardly and lying between said springs tosupport and separate the same.

8. Draft mechanism for twin spring or friction type gears, comprisingside plates provided with guideways, follower plates, longitudinal keyspassing through said follower plates and movablein said guideways, and-acoupler connected to said keys, each key having one face concave and theopposite face beveled at; its opposite edges and being reversible to twopositions in one of which said beveled edges are adapted to support andseparate twin springs and in the other of which positions said concavefaces are adapted to engage the barrel of friction mechanism.

4. A. draft gear, comprising side plates, follower plates, longitudinalkeys passing said follower plates, a coupler head, and a cross keyextending through said coupler headand longitudinal keys, and a securingloop surrounding said cross key and having its end portions bent into anopening therein.

5. A draft gear, comprising side plates, follower 'plates, longitudinalkeys passing through said follower plates, a coupler head, a cross keyextending through said coupler head and longitudinal keys, said crosskey being provided with a head lying on the outside of one of saidlongitudinal keys, and at its other end being provided with an open ing,and a loop surrounding said cross key and having a portion bent into theopening therein.

6. A draft gear, comprising side plates,

follower plates movable therebetween, longitudinal keys having theirouter faces concave and their upper and lower inner edges beveled andpassing through openings in In testimony whereof, we have hereunto setour hands.

sonnu nansson.

I ISAK MOELLER.

Witnesses:

' SAnIn M. Pn'r'rrs, P. A. MoGnEsoR.

